English Literature

Course summary

Paper 1 Drama and Poetry Pre-1900 (40%) Assessed by examination – 2 hours 30 minutes. Closed book. Section A A two-part question on a Shakespeare play (Twelfth Night, The Tempest or Hamlet.) One question is extract based, one question is about the text as a whole. Section B A comparison of one drama text with one work of poetry based on a theme (A Doll’s House compared to the poetry of Christina Rossetti or An Ideal Husband compared to The Merchant’s Tale.) Paper 2 Comparative study of Dystopian Fiction (40%) Assessed by examination – 2 hours 30 minutes. Section A A close analysis of an unseen dystopian fiction extract. Section B A comparative essay on The Handmaid’s Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Non-examined Unit (20%) Task 1 A critical close analysis of modern poetry from a poet of your choice. Task 2 A comparative essay on a play (A Streetcar Named Desire Or The History Boys) and a novel (Breakfast at Tiffany’s or The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)